Will metro line 1 ever be extended east to Val de Fontenay? It's an explosive question that many Parisians are asking themselves. First mooted in 1934, the project has been pitting supporters of public transport against environmentalists for many years now. In this instance, two associations face off: the Métro Rigollots Val-de-Fontenay association, in favor of the extension, and the Groupe national de surveillance des arbres (GNSA), opposed to the project. At the heart of the debate? The Bois de Vincennes.
In December 2022, the project was rejected by Clément Beaune, then Minister of Transport. At the time, the plan was for a tunnel some 5 km long to run from the current Château de Vincennes terminus to the Val-de-Fontenay RER station. A project that threatens, among other things, century-old trees in the Bois de l'Est Parisien.
"At the time, Clément Beaune told AFP: " It is not possible to declare the project in the public interest as it stands, as its impact on the environment is a cause for concern, particularly in the Bois de Vincennes. " The project needs to be reworked, and the French government will lend its support to move it forward," he added.
But in December 2024, the subject was back on the table, following a vote by theÎle-de-France Mobilités Board of Directors to relaunch studies for the extension of line 1. As revealed by our colleagues in Le Parisien on December 16, a financing agreement has been granted to carry out new studies and enable a public utility inquiry to be held again by 2027.
This project involves extending line 1 eastwards. At present, metro line 1 runs from La Défense to Château de Vincennes, crossing the Champs-Élysées, La Concorde, Châtelet and Gare de Lyon. This extension will extend line 1 from the current Château de Vincennes terminus to Val de Fontenay station in the Val-de-Marne department. The result? Three new stations:"Les Rigollots" in Fontenay-sous-Bois,"Grands Pêchers" in Montreuil, and"Val de Fontenay" in Fontenay-sous-Bois.
On its website, Île-de-France Mobilités specifies that the extension of metro line 1 will provide new connections with RER lines A and E, as well as with the future metro line 15 (Grand Paris Express) and the terminus of the future T1 tramway extension.
